Years ago, at the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Conference, I was asked out of the blue to moderate a panel discussion about using music to inspire writing. The original moderator had bailed for some reason, so I was asked to step in. I had 10 minutes to prepare for a 45-minute discussion with three panelists I'd not met before. I had no idea what questions to ask.
I had to wing it, and, despite my unpreparedness, the discussion went well. But when I mentioned that I listen to heavy metal when writing, the audience seemed surprised. This laid-back, quiet guy listens to Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, Testament, and Exodus? How is that possible? Of course, most people in the audience had never even heard of these bands. This made me wonder how music actually plays into a writer's craft.
The truth is, I don't listen only to heavy metal. I'm an eclectic listener, depending on what I'm writing at the time. Writing horror, metal gets me into the right groove. Suspense, usually blues guitar like Joe Bonamassa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nonfiction, often classical music. It's a mixed menu that inspires my writing in diverse ways.
Which leads me to a peripheral topic. I believe heavy metal and classical music are kissing cousins. While some might consider that sacrilegious, maybe even blasphemous, I see clear similarities between the two music genres.
When it comes to classical music, I especially like tone poems like Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition, Stravinsky's The Firebird, and Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade. Tone poems are generally based on stories, which appeal to me as a writer. I would argue that Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," based on Coleridge's classic poem, is also a tone poem demonstrating the same diverse movements, rhythms, harmonies, and textures as the classical pieces. The same with the band's "Flight of Icarus," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Paschendale." Metallica's "One" is based on Dalton Trumbo's anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun. Tone poem? I think so.
Consider also "2112" by the Canadian progressive metal band Rush. The 20-minute piece, with a science fiction theme based on Ayn Rand's writings, has seven movements, one of which includes a short sequence from Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." There's sophistication here, clearly reflecting classical influences. In my opinion, "2112" can also be defined as a tone poem.
If you listen to heavy metal, you'll notice distinct symphonic structures in much of the music. Many bands, in fact, have played with symphony orchestras. Metallica performed with the San Francisco Symphony. As far back as 1969, Deep Purple recorded "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And let's not forget the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which includes musicians from the metal band Savatage.
Violinists Niccolo Paganini and Antonio Vivaldi inspired speed metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, whose music is defined as part of the neoclassical genre of heavy metal. Malmsteen even composed the "Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E-flat Minor," performed with the Czech Philharmonic and the New Japan Philharmonic.
When I listen to Stravinsky's The Firebird, Kamelot's Ghost Opera (symphonic metal), and Testament's Brotherhood of the Snake (thrash metal), I hear similar characteristics that I don't hear in most other music genres. There's finesse and complexity that I don't hear, for example, in most country music and pop. I'm sure that's debatable and may depend on musical preferences, but I find classical music and heavy metal appeal to my creative side.
What do you think? What do you listen to while writing? Let us know in the comments.
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